Women's boutique and cocktail bar to open in Victor

Call it shopping with a twist. Brand Bar II, which bills itself as “a women’s lifestyle boutique and cocktail bar,” is coming to 240 High St. Extension in Victor’s High Point development across from Eastview Mall.

The business is the brainchild of Anna Mullett, who opened the original Brand Bar in July 2023 in Williamsville, Erie County.

She hopes to open the Victor store by July, as interior renovations continue on the 7,819-square-foot High Street Extension building, a striking timber-and-cobblestone structure that used to house outdoor apparel and equipment retailer The North Face.

Mullett, a Greece native and Clarence, Erie County, resident, has two decades of experience as a fashion buyer.

“Buying is my forte — that’s what I do,” said the 39-year-old, who earned a bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising management from Buffalo State University and Manhattan's Fashion Institute of Technology.

During college, she worked at a couple of specialty boutiques in SoHo and after graduating was an assistant buyer for Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City before returning to western New York.

Inspired by those experiences, Brand Bar II will carry her curated assortment of dresses, tops, skirts, pants, premium denim, footwear, jewelry, accessories and handbags by brands including Generation Love, Farm Rio, Michael Stars, MOTHER DENIM, AGOLDE denim, Birkenstock and Sorel.

“We really have a brand selection that you find in major cities. You don’t find it in smaller suburbs,” she said.

Whatever they’re looking for, customers will get expert help.

“Our number one thing is customer service,” Mullett said. “All the girls are trained on the products and how to dress people and put outfits together. A woman can come in if she’s going to an event, and maybe she just wants the dress, or maybe she wants us to outfit her from head to toe, and we can do that, too. I just helped a customer who’s going away on vacation, and she said, ‘I want outfits for the whole entire vacation.’ So, it’s all different levels. We cater to whatever the customer wants, and it might be just a pair of jeans.”

Mullett also wants customers to feel comfortable and to have “more of an experience.”

So, the Victor location will mirror the one in Williamsville, a clean, modern space with plush seating areas for socializing and relaxing. (To get an idea, visit Brand Bar’s Instagram page: instagram.com/shopbrandbar.)

And, of course, it wouldn’t be a Brand Bar without the bar.

“There’s beer, wine, and we have girly drinks like espresso martinis and margaritas,” she said. “But we have whiskey, too, because we do have that husband-and-wife duo coming in.”

Speaking of husbands, Anna’s husband, KC Mullett, 43, is a partner in Brand Bar and Brand Bar II, which also carries gift items including candles and Jellycat stuffed animals (big sellers, Anna Mullett said) as well as the FarmHouse Fresh skincare line.

In addition, the couple, who have three children ages 8 to 13, own three restaurants: Neat Wood Whiskey Wine in Williamsville; and Vice and Bella Caio, both in downtown Buffalo.

Brand Bar II will be open seven days a week, but Mullett hasn't settled on store hours yet.

“I always wanted Pittsford or Victor for my second location because I love the area and it fits with the whole concept of my business,” she said. “It’s really special bringing this store to my hometown. And the building is just so spectacular, we couldn’t pass it up.”

Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Brand Bar boutique and cocktail bar to open in Victor NY